Raghuvaran (11 December 1948 – 19 March 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 200 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the Hindustan Times, "The actor had carved a niche for himself with his special style and voice modulation."[1]

He played the protagonist of a Tamil soap opera, Oru Manidhanin Kadhai, about a well-to-do man who becomes an alcoholic. He received critical acclaim for his role as Father Alphonso in the Malayalam movie Daivathinte Vikruthikal, directed by Lenin Rajendran and based on M. Mukundan's novel of the same name.

He completed his Bachelor of Arts from Coimbatore (Govt. Arts College) and discontinued his Masters to pursue a career in acting.[2] He landed a minor role in the Kannada film Swapna Thingalgal. He began acting in small minor roles in Telugu and Kannada films including a two-minute scene as a rapist in Udaya.

From 1979 to 1983, he was part of an acting drama troupe in Chennai, Chennai Kings, which also included the Kannada/Tamil supporting actor, Nassar. He was spotted and cast in a small role in Ezhavathu Manithan which was his biggest role to date.

He was married to Actress Rohini in 1996 and they have a son Rishivaran born in 1997. The couple later got separated and divorced in 2004.[1]

Raghuvaran's substance addictions hampered his career and left him repeatedly visiting rehabilitation clinics.[3]

In a career span lasting for more than 26 years, Raghuvaran performed each roles with his trademark mannerisms, often stealing the thunder from more established stars and even heroes. His magnetic baritone voice was an advantage and he modulated it to suit his variety of roles. He also set his own style of mannerisms and brought a distinct dialogue delivery and even changed his gait in many films. All this dedication won him more fans and helped his popularity graph soaring more higher.

He has received several state and Filmfare Awards for his performances in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He began his career as a supporting actor in a number of films in Tamil including Mani Rathnam's Anjali as the father of an autistic child. He later played villains in Baasha as Mark Anthony, Mudhalvan as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shiva and Muthu as Ilaimaran. He later returned to supporting roles – sometimes as a father or as a mentor in films such as Alai, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Thirumalai and Bala.

Raghuvaran died on 19 March 2008.[1] cause of the death has been disclosed as organ failure caused by excessive alcohol consumption[5]

His death occurred during the filming stages of several films, including the Tamil film, Kanthaswamy wherein Raghuvaran's performances were left unused and were replaced with Ashish Vidyarthi, which resulted in the film's delayed release.